(Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

At first glance they appear to have nothing in common apart from bearing the moniker of ‘motor-sport series.’

Stock cars are vehicles built to an identical silhouette template, enormously heavy, tube frame chassis and the mechanics involved are often uncomplicated.

Contrastingly Formula One cars bear a light carbon fibre chassis which are aerodynamically perfect, high revving engines and intricate and sophisticated dynamics.

Formula One suffers from a dearth of overtaking, arguably NASCAR suffers just as badly from an excess of it.

Clearly such disparities mean Nascar may not be a model for Formula One, but its undoubted success and fan satisfaction should not be ignored.

Even a fervent F1 supporter such as myself can see there are indeed lessons to be learned.

Lesson 1:The importance of presentation- most products are judged by their jackets

Of course I am not referring to the bespoke Savile Row kind that Max Mosley or Bernie Ecclestone don regularly but the quality of the transmission of our sport.

NASCAR offers viewers a plethora of viewing angles and options. Numerous on board cameras, overhead helicopter shots, blimps, and cameras at floor level to name a few.

In F1 distant wide angled cameras are the preferred choice. On board cameras are few and far between and when utilised are high mounted.

Such a paltry selection inhibits our viewing experience.

It does not allow a viewer to garner a full appreciation for the skills required of a driver to control an often-capricious F1 car at speeds exceeding 200mph. Neither can we fully appreciate the challenges that incremental weather or car malfunctions present.

Static wall cameras in NASCAR that shake as cars pass offer an unrivalled (apart from being there in person) sensation of speed.

F1 may not have mounted walls but ground level cameras can be just as impressive and offer a similar luxury.

Also, the use of Helicopter shots in NASCAR would be a wonderful asset to Formula 1. Watching a high overhead shot as a car negotiates apex after apex would be an exhilarating sight.

Naturally, Stock-cars design is more welcoming to on-board devices but nevertheless F1 could be much more dynamic in there usage. NASCAR offers in car shots, roof cameras and bumper cameras covering all angles and all eventualities.

NASCAR’s other televisual methods include the HotPass-allowing viewers to ride along with their favourite driver and frequent use of the split screen to ensure all action is covered, including the ability to simultaneously follow three or four cars during their pitstops.

F1’s coverage seems positively archaic in contrast.

BBC has made some inroads with its red button service, but many of the aforementioned techniques could be adapted, developed and employed in Formula 1.

Unfortunately the capacity for change is impeded by the single director/video feed for the world, produced by Formula One Management.

I have lost count in my 20 years of watching Formula 1 how many pivotal incidents have not been broadcast live because the local director’s focus is either with a home driver or another on road battle which is of smaller consequence.

Such an outdated set-up has also scuppered plans for a High Definition broadcast of Formula One. Yet there remains no development in this area.

Surely if video feeds to all cameras at a race were available to purchase, local broadcasters could then produce how they want and as such tailor their transmission to their target audience.

When watching NASCAR a few weekends ago I was staggered at the amount of radio transmissions that are broadcast openly and freely. There was constant chatter between a driver and his spotter, his team boss and even between two teammates at once.

Contrastingly, in F1 teams still have the ability to withhold conversations during the race broadcast. Of course such regulations have been actively exploited in the past two years.

NASCAR usage of radio transmissions is testament to their pre-eminent understanding of their clientele and what motor-sport television should be.

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